July 6 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

What is this all about?

Yesterday

Here are the top 5 July 6 moments in San Francisco Giants history

1966 home vs. St Louis, we're 18 over .500 and 1.5 up in the NL, down 2-0 in the 8th, 2 on, 2 out, Willie Mays hits a 3 run homer off Don Dennis as we are gonna win this one 3-2. This is the year it starts to slip for Mays, he's 35 years old - the year before he led the majors in everything, homers, OPS+, total bases, his 185 OPS+ at the age of 34 was the high mark of his career, but this is the first step down, the OPS+ drops to to 149, the homers drop to 37, they'll drop again the following season.  He's still great, he's still Willie Mays, but the four best seasons of his life were the prior four seasons, this is the 8th best - still worth 8 and a half WAR, he finished third in the MVP race - but from the distance of history you can see that this is the year it starts to happen.

1972 at Philadelphia, we're 16 games under .500 and 16 games out of first in the west (the Phillies were worse, 21 under .500 - this unattractive matchup had less than 5500 paid on a Thursday night at the Vet) two outs in the 10th, Tito Fuentes triples home two runs off Woody Fryman and we win the game 6-4.  Fuentes (one of the last players out of Cuba prior to the embargo) finished third in the Rookie of the Year race in '66 as our shortstop (Tommy Helms won) he moved to second in '67 but couldn't hit enough to stay with the big club and spent much of the next 2 seasons in the minors.  Fuentes was a utility player in '70, although he got a ton of at bats, and in '71 took over at second base where he stayed through the '74 season, never really hitting much but fielding well enough to make him reasonable at the position, if not particularly helpful.  We send him to the Padres for Derrel Thomas after the '74 season.  Thomas then takes over at second in '75 and '76, Rob Andrews gets the job in '77, Madlock in '78 and '79, he's dealt for Rennie Stennett who is our second baseman in '80, and then in '81 we sign Joe Morgan.

1985 at Chicago, we're 19 games under .500 and just a million games out of first place, 16 games out, we trailed 4-3 in the 8th but a Manny Trillo homer tied it up - and at 4-4 in the 9th a Chris Brown homer off of Lee Smith puts us up 5-4 in a game we'd win 6-4.  Trillo was both a former and future Cub, he finished third in the Rookie of the Year race in '75 as Cub second baseman, we got him 9 years later as a 33 year old in '84, signing as a free agent to replace Joe Morgan as our starter at second in '84 and '85 (Trillo is the bridge between Morgan and Robby Thompson) and in the offseason we're going to trade him to the Cubs. He couldn't hit for us (particularly this year) but caught the ball okay.

1989 at Pittsburgh, we're 15 games over .500 with a 1.5 game lead in the west, John Smiley goes all 10 innings for the Bucs, allowing only 8 baserunners, it's 1-1 with 2 out in the top of the 10th when Brett Butler homers to right with what turns out to be the game winner.  It's Butler's second of three seasons as the Giants center fielder and leadoff hitter.  This is Butler's 35th career homer and the only one he'd ever hit in extra innings.  Butler hit 13 homers as a Giant.



Walk off 2011 home vs. Padres, it's game 88 on the season so we have hit the back half, and despite a 3 game losing streak we maintain a one game lead in the west.  It took 4 hours, in the bottom of the 14th, Nate Schierholtz broke a 5-5 tie with a walk off homer off of Pat Neshek.  It was a big day for Nate, who added a second homer and a double.  Schierholtz was our starting right fielder in both '10 and '11, we sent him to the Phillies in a deadline deal in '12 as part of the Pence trade.  This was his 15th career home run and the only walk off he'd ever hit.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

July 5 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

What is this all about?

Yesterday

Here are the top 5 July 5 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

Walk off 1958 home vs. Cardinals, we walked off the Cubs the day before, we come in 2.5 out of first place in our inaugural campaign, Mike McCormick throws a complete game 6 hitter in this one, a Ray Jablonski triple in the 9th tied the game, now, the bases are loaded, it's 4-4 with 2 out, Willie Kirkland draws a walk (to walk off) off of Larry Jackson to score Bob Speake with the winning run.  McCormick came up with New York in '56, threw a half dozen innings as a 17 year old.  He comes west, is part of the rotation this year as a 19 year old - he's okay, wins 11 games, ERA+ of 84 - but two years later he leads MLB with a 2.70 ERA. It's his career year, worth more than 6 WAR and, through 2016, is the 53rd greatest year for any starting pitcher in franchise history.  He's gone at the end of the '62 season, to the Orioles along with Stu Miller and John Orsino for what turned out to be not very much.  In '67 he comes back in a deal with Washington and wins 22 games and the Cy Young Award.  This stint lasts until midway through the '70 season when we send McCormick to the Yankees.  We take a flyer on him one more time, in '72, more than a quarter century after he was first signed to the organization, but he doesn't get out of the minors.

1963 home vs. Cardinals, 3 games out of first, we play a 3 and a half hour Friday night game at the Stick, down 5-4 in the 9th Harvey Kuenn ties it up with a single off Ron Taylor scoring Matty Alou.

Ranking the Alous (Giants playing career only)
1. Felipe
2. Moises
3. Matty
4. Jesus

Walk off 1963 home vs. Cardinals, same game, in the 11th Chuck Hiller singles home Jose Pagan off of Ed Bauta to break a 5-5 tie and send everyone home.  It's the 22nd extra innings walk off hit in San Francisco history.

Walk off 1978 home vs. Padres, we're 16 games over .500 with a 2 game lead in the west, this is game 81 on the season, we tied it up in the 9th on a McCovey homer off of Rollie Fingers, the bases are loaded with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th, Clark's at third after a double - Fingers is still in the game - but a Jim Dwyer sac fly scores Jack to end it.  Dwyer had an 18 year big league career, 73 games of which were as a Giant, we got him from the Cards 3 weeks earlier and sold him to Boston before the '79 season.  Dwyer had 22 RBI with San Francisco

2001 at Los Angeles, we're 7.5 out and trying not to get swept in a 4 game series at Dodger Stadium. 2-2 in the 9th, with two outs 39 year old Eric Davis came on to pinch hit a single, moved to second on an error, and then scored what turned out to be the winning run on a Rich Aurilia base hit.  This is Davis's 17th and final big league season and the only year he spent in San Francisco. We signed him prior to the year, he didn't have much left, played in 74 games, hit just .205.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

July 4 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

What is this all about?

Yesterday

Here are the top 5 July 4 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

Walk off 1958 home vs. Cubs, the first San Francisco club was 3.5 out and playing a 4th of July doubleheader, we trailed 5-1 going to the bottom of the 9th, scored 3 runs, but still trailed 5-4 with 2 on and 2 out.  Fortunately, Willie Mays was at the plate, he singled home Alou and Kirkland off of Dick Drott to give us the ballgame (we lost the second game).  It's Mays's first San Francisco walk off hit.

Walk off 1969 home vs. Braves, 6.5 games out and playing a 4th of July doubleheader against the first place Braves, down 6-5 in the bottom of the 10th, Bob Burda (who pinch hit a 2 run homer in the ninth to send the game into extra innings) hits a 2 run double off of Paul Doyle to shave a game off the Braves lead.  Burda spent portions of 4 replacement level seasons as a Giants pinch hitter, He came over from Pittsburgh with Bob Priddy for Del Crandall before the '65 season and we sold him to the Brewers in the middle of 1970.

1969 home vs. Braves, game two of the double header, down 3-2 in the 6th, Dave Marshall singles home Hunt and Bonds off of Ron Reed, we win this one 7-3 and pick up 2 games on the first place Braves. This is the only year of Marshall's career where he got more than 250 plate appearances, he shared left with Ken Henderson, just couldn't hit enough to stay in a big league lineup. We got him from the Angels just before the '66 season for Hector Torres and sent him to the Mets along with Ray Sadecki after this season.

1990 home vs. Cardinals, we're 9 games out of first, down 2-1 in the 7th, a Brett Butler bunt single off of Ken Dayley coupled with a Terry Pendleton throwing error scored two runs and we go on to win the game 9-2.  It's Butler's third and final year in San Francisco, he was worth more than 5 WAR, it's the 20th best season any Giants center fielder ever had.  Even with only 3 seasons, through 2016, Butler's the 36th best player in San Francisco history.  Whitey Herzog quits his job as Cards manager a couple days later.

2007 at Cincinnati, this is game 82, we're 11.5 out of first, down 3-1 in the 4th, Fred Lewis hits a grand slam off of Matt Belisle, we win this one 9-5.  It's Lewis's first full big league season, he's our 4th OF, it's his 3rd career homer, but his second grand slam.  He spends 4 years as a Giant and then we send him to Toronto.  Lewis is out of the league after 2012.  Barry hit #751 the day before.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

July 3 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

What is this all about?

Yesterday

Here are the top 5 July 3 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

Walk off 1974 home vs Padres, this is game 81 on the season and we are (gulp) 20.5 games out of first place.  Fewer than 3500 paid on a Wednesday afternoon at the Stick, 2-2 in the 10th, Gary Matthews leads off with a walk off homer off of Vincente Romo.  It's the 49th walk off home run in San Francisco history. It's Matthews' first career walk off homer and the only one he'd hit as a Giant, 7 years later he'd hit list last walk off off of Vincent's brother Enrique.

1980 home vs. Reds, nearing the halfway point, 9.5 games out of first place, up 4-3 in the 9th, 2 on, 2 out, Johnny Bench at the plate - Greg Minton gets him to ground out to end the game. A 144 ERA+ for Minton in '80, he's worth three and a half WAR, the 22nd best season for a reliever in franchise history.  Minton was good against Bench, holding him to a .217 BA with no homers in 26 career plate appearances.

1982 at San Diego, this is game 80, we're a dozen games out of first, this is a 4 and a half hour 15 inning Saturday night ballgame at Jack Murphy, at 3-3 in the 15th, Chili Davis broke the tie with a homer off of Floyd Chiffer, and that turns out to be the winner.  This is Chili's first full season in the big leagues, he finished 4th in the NL Rookie of the Year race (Steve Sax won, future Giant Willie McGee finished third, Ryne Sandberg finished 6th). It's Chili's 9th career homer, he'll never again hit one so late in a game.

1998 home vs. Dodgers, we're 14 games over .500 but 4.5 out of first, Orel Hershiser, pitching for us, goes 7 and gives up 4 hits, we're down 2-1 in the 5th, JT Snow hits a 3 run homer off Ismael Valdez, we win this one 6-3.  Snow benefited from the lack of advanced defensive metrics back in the 90s, he won a string of gold glove despite being average at first.  It's his second year in San Francisco, we got him from the Angels for Allen Watson and he remains the Giants first baseman for a decade, other than McCovey, no one plays more games at first for San Francisco. This is his 103rd career homer.

2016 at Arizona, 19 games over .500 and up 5 in the west, 4-4 in the 11th, a Ramiro Pena pinch double off of Enrique Burgos scores Jarrett Parker with what will hold up as the winning run.  Pena played 30 games with the Giants, all in 2016, this is his 13th, he's sent down at the end of the month and that might be the end of his big league career.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

July 2 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

What is this all about?

Yesterday

Here are the top 5 July 2 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

Walk off 1963 home vs. Braves, maybe the greatest pitched game in the history of the sport, a 16 inning complete game shutout by Juan Marichal (who threw a no hitter 2 and a half weeks prior) and a 15 1/3 inning complete game by Warren Spahn, it ends with an out in the bottom of the 16th when Willie Mays homers into the wind in left off of Spahn to give us a 1-0 win.  Spahn was 42 years old.  Marichal threw 227 pitches, Spahn 201.

1973 at Atlanta, we're 11 over .500 but 5.5 back, plenty of good seats still available in Atlanta, fewer than 7000 paid on a Monday night, down 5-4 with 2 out in the 8th, Chris Speier hits a 2 run homer off of Joe Hoerner and we're gonna win this one 9-5.  Speier's 23, in his third year as our starting shortstop, he'll keep that job until early '77 when we send him to the Expos for Tim Foli.

1988 home vs. Pirates, 5.5 back as we near the halfway point, we got 3 hits in this this game, singles in the second and third and then an Ernie Riles single to lead off the 8th with the score 1-0 Pirates, Butler and Clark then walked, and with the bases loaded and Candy Maldonado at the plate a Barry Jones wild pitch scored two men - and that 2-1 score would hold up.  How about that one?  The Giants got 3 singles on the day and won the game on a wild pitch that scored two runs.

1989 home vs. Cubs, it's game 81 of the season and we're a game up in the west, Rick Sutcliffe throws a complete game and on the way has a 3-2 8th inning lead with 2 out in the 8th, but Kevin Mitchell hits a 2 run homer and we're gonna win this one 4-3.  We move to 15 over .500.  8 WAR for Mitch in '89, the best season for any LF in franchise history not named Barry Bonds.

Walk off 2000 home vs. Dodgers, 6.5 out as we near the halfway mark, 5-5 in the bottom of the 9th, Marvin Benard leads off with a homer off of Mike Fetters to end the game.  This was the first season at Pac Bell, and this was the first walk off hit of any type in the new ballpark.  It's the only walk off of Benard's career.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!